Hernias are abnormal protrusions of an organ (or organs) through a defect or natural opening in a covering membrane, muscle or bone. Most hernias protrude in the inguinal region as inguinal (direct or indirect) or femoral hernias and in the anterior abdominal wall region, as incisional, umbilical, epigastric or Spigelian hernias.
Hernia repair may require surgery. A small defective gap may be closed by sutures, and in cases of a larger defective gap, a mesh-sheet (or mesh, for short) may be applied over the gap. In some cases a mesh-sheet may be used for reinforcing a primary sutured defect in the abdominal wall. The mesh-sheet is fixed with sutures at peripheral edges thereof to the abdominal wall.
Tools have been developed to assist deploying and placing mesh-sheets in a laparoscopic procedure. However, although mesh sheets are used in most hernia repair procedures today, in the prior art there has been no tool or accepted standard for deploying and placing the mesh laparoscopically.